US President Donald Trump points towards the new Air Force One, a plane gifted by the Qatari government, before boarding, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on July 1, 2026. (Evan Vucci/Reuters)
'Excited' Trump boards Qatar-gifted Air Force One for first time
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Donald Trump took his first flight aboard a Boeing 747-8 gifted to the US by Qatar.
- Trump praised the aircraft, saying the US would not spend enough to build one like it.
- The jet will temporarily serve as Air Force One while new Boeing replacements are completed.
- The gift has sparked legal, ethical, and national security concerns.
US President Donald Trump embarked on his first official flight Wednesday aboard a newly commissioned Air Force One, a customized $400 million luxury jumbo jet donated to the United States by the government of Qatar.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for an America 250 independence celebration at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota, Trump expressed immense enthusiasm for the aircraft, praising its lavish finishes and advanced modifications.
"They spent top dollars"
The President brushed aside ongoing controversies surrounding the acquisition, emphasizing the sheer scale of investment the Qatari government poured into the retrofitted Boeing 747-8.
“To be honest with you, I’m excited about the first flight. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it,” Trump told journalists traveling with him. “Frankly, we couldn’t build a plane like this because we wouldn’t be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollars.”
Trump detailed that while the aircraft was delivered as a "free" gift, the US military subsequently integrated highly complex security systems.
"They just completed it. They made it appropriate for a president, that means the security and all of the different bells and whistles they put on. Very complex stuff, but it's really quite something," he added.
Inside the "world's most luxurious plane"
The newly retrofitted jet features substantial design overhauls that align closely with Trump’s personal aesthetic preferences, effectively replacing the historic light blue and white livery pioneered during the Kennedy administration.
The administration has repeatedly defended accepting the high-value asset from Doha, arguing it serves as a necessary, budget-saving stopgap.
The US Air Force recently retired its heavily modified Boeing 747-200s, which had served as the primary executive transport since 1990 but had become increasingly costly to maintain at 35 years of age.
